21 Mumps Cases in NJ Linked to Belmar Bar: Officials

Symptoms include swelling of salivary glands along with fever, headache, tiredness and other issues

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Twenty-one of 22 people with possible mumps cases in New Jersey's Monmouth County either visited or worked at a popular Belmar restaurant, health officials said.

Most of the people with cases of the virus visited D'Jais bar and grill over the last several weeks. All but one of the 22 people who probably contracted mumps were adults, health officials say. Most of the people live in Monmouth County and all but one of them are from New Jersey.

Monmouth County health officials initially reported 7 possible cases of mumps in Wednesday afternoon. Within 24 hours, the cases more than tripled.

When a person contracts mumps, it typically takes 5 days for symptoms to appear. They include the swelling of salivary glands along with fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and loss of appetite.

Once a person is diagnosed, the Centers for Disease Control recommends isolating mumps patients for 5 days.

The health department said mumps is spread by droplets of saliva or mucus, usually when the infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.

The virus can also be spread to those who share items used by the infected person, such as cups.